Two more established talk shows attracted larger audiences during the week of Sept. 16. "Katie" with Katie Couric drew an average of 2.3 million viewers each day, according to Nielsen. "The Steve Harvey Show," tucked in with 2.1 million viewers.

But Sony still considers "The Queen Latifah Show" a hit because it has dramatically outperformed the program that it replaced in its time slot on CBS stations last year: "The Doctors." It was the second-highest rated talk show premiere since 2009. Sony pointed out the show was sampled by nearly 10 million viewers in its initial week.

Advertisers also want to be associated with Queen Latifah, as she is one of the most admired celebrities in daytime, according to a recent Q Score survey.

[For the record: An earlier version of this story stated the show's ratings did not achieve some expectations, including within Sony Pictures Television. A Sony spokeswoman said the studio has not been disappointed with the show's early performance.]